Generally, this invention relates to a brush for use with a drive shaft, for example, to assist in removing undesirable dust, dirt and other debris from remote locations, specifically for dislodging such dust, dirt and other debris from areas which are difficult to reach, and therefore require special means to clean.
For dislodging dust or unwanted debris from remote, difficult to reach locations, such as the interior of air ducts or chimneys, many different means have been employed. Most air duct cleaners use vacuum equipment to induce rapid airflow within ductwork or chimneys, creating a tendency for loose dust or debris to be drawn along with the air. However, this rapid airflow does not remove dust or unwanted material which has become settled or lodged on interior surfaces. Such debris often builds up gradually over time, and has frequently formed a cohesive “pad” which cannot be removed by rapid airflow alone.
One of the longest-standing methods for dislodging such unwanted dust and debris is the introduction of fast-moving air directed by nozzles. While using nozzles alone does dislodge some of the material and does break up “pads” of material on the bottom of ductwork, thus allowing some of the unwanted material to be drawn away by rapid airflow, such nozzles do not, always and/or easily, remove all material, and so must be introduced to an area several times to dislodge the more difficult dust or dirt that is left behind. Also, since the effectiveness of a nozzle depends both upon the operators' ability to see the unwanted material and the nozzle, and upon the operators' ability to maneuver the nozzle toward uncleaned areas, using nozzles can be relatively inefficient when it is difficult to see into the remote area being cleaned.
Another common method for dislodging dust or unwanted material from remote areas is to introduce brushes, and particularly rotating brushes. Brushes often have a larger effective cleaning radius than nozzles. However, existing brushes exhibit several disadvantages. For example, existing brushes come in one size or shape, and with parts that have rather short lifetimes. This means that a brush user must purchase and maintain many different brushes, especially if they service many different kinds of ducts or chimneys. Also, over the course of their life, often times it is the bristles or bristle-like parts of the rotating brush that wear out long before the hub of the brush does. Consequently, a new type of brush is needed which will provide the advantages of existing brushes, but without one or more of the related disadvantages.